Chapter 1

"Are you really stupid, Liz?” The harshness of Julian's voice hit her so hard. Liz felt her chest tighten, her hands trembling as she looked at him. She didn't mean to spill the water on him but he had a cold, furious face.

"I-I’m sorry," she whispered, clutching the glass tighter in her hand as though it could protect her.

"Sorry?" Julian sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. He snatched the glass from her hand, barely giving her a chance to back away before he splashed water down her dress, ice-cold and sharp against her skin.

She gasped, taking a step back, but he was faster. His open hand came down hard against her cheek, leaving her face stinging as she staggered from the force of it.

“Are you really going to cry over something so small?” He mocked as her vision blurred, her cheeks hot with both pain and humiliation,

She didn’t respond. Tears threatened to spill, but she bit down hard on her lip, refusing to give him the satisfaction.

The pain cut deeper than she could ever explain, but Julian looked at her as though she were nothing more than a pathetic figure, unworthy of his time. She didn’t recognize this man, the man she’d married just two years ago.

“Julian, stop it!” a voice cut through the tension. Liz looked up to see Mara, her step-sister, stepping between them, putting a hand on Julian’s arm. Mara’s gaze turned towards Liz, not with sympathy, but with a kind of controlled curiosity, as though she were watching an interesting scene play out.

“She’s crying, Julian,” Mara said softly, her tone almost placating. “You’ve made your point.”

Julian huffed, giving Liz a last look of contempt. “Fine. Take your sister out of here,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I can’t stand the sight of her right now.”

Mara turned to Liz, her eyes narrowing slightly. “What on earth did you do to set him off like this?” she asked, her voice low as she led Liz out of the kitchen and into the cold air of the back patio.

Liz shook her head, unable to form the words. A part of her wanted to collapse into her step-sister’s arms, but Mara’s question felt more like an accusation than an offer of comfort.

“I… I don’t know why he’s acting like this,” she murmured, her voice trembling. “It wasn’t like this before… before the miscarriage.” The word itself felt heavy, like a stone lodged in her throat. It was a reminder of everything she’d lost, and how each day had grown darker since then.

Mara watched her, her eyes calculating, though a faint trace of pity across her face. “Julian’s been through a lot too,” Mara said coolly. “He deserves a little understanding. But you should confront him, calmly,” she added as Liz opened her mouth. “You don’t want to push him further. He knows you’re still not… yourself since the loss. That doesn’t mean he’s going to be patient forever.” Liz nodded numbly.

When she got back to their shared home, the house felt darker than ever. She entered the living room and found Julian leaning against the fireplace, his gaze vacant and distant. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to approach him.

“Julian, I’m… I’m sorry,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Please, don’t let everything we’ve built go to waste. We’ve been through so much, and I…”

But he cut her off with a scoff, barely looking at her. “What we’ve built?” he repeated, as if the words were poison in his mouth. “You mean what you’ve wasted, Liz. You’re nothing but a barren disappointment.”

Barren? It echoed in her mind, louder than his voice, louder than the pounding of her own heart. She’d never imagined he would say something so cruel, so final.

“Did you just… did you just call me barren?” Her voice trembled as she looked up at him, a trace of hope in her eyes that maybe he’d take it back, that maybe he’d see the hurt he’d caused.

But Julian’s face was stone, unyielding. He barely looked at her as he moved past, shoving her aside without a word, leaving her feeling small, unwanted, as if she didn’t even exist in his world.

Liz stumbled back, feeling her strength drain from her, but she forced herself to walk toward the bedroom. She needed to escape his presence, if only for a moment.

But before she could reach the sanctuary of her room, another figure appeared in the doorway. Julian’s mother. She strode into the room, her eyes narrowing at Liz with an expression that bordered on contempt.

“Don’t blame my son for your misery. You deserve every bit of it. If you can’t give him a family, why should he waste his time on you?” She took a seat on the couch after hugging her son.

Her words cut deep, each one piercing Lizzy's chest. She could feel herself unraveling, a sob rising in her throat, but she choked it back, refusing to give them the satisfaction.

Without thinking, she turned and fled, out into the darkness, her breath coming in ragged gasps as the night air stung her cheeks.

For a moment, she stood outside in the chill, letting her pain wash over her, a hollow ache settling in her chest. She couldn’t bring herself to tell her parents the truth; she already knew they’d dismiss her pain, mock her weakness. She was alone.

When she finally re-entered the house, she found Julian’s mother still sitting in the living room, looking as if she’d never moved. Swallowing her pride, Liz approached, her voice low and defeated. “I’ll try harder… I’ll… I’ll get pregnant, I promise.”

The woman merely sniffed, waving a dismissive hand as if shooting a bothersome insect.

That night, as Liz lay in bed, she reached out tentatively to Julian, her heart aching with a yearning for even the slightest hint of tenderness. But he pulled away, his back turned to her with an air of finality that crushed her spirit.

Desperate, she texted Mara. “Julian won’t even look at me. What should I do?” She stared at the screen, waiting, hoping Mara would have some words of comfort.

“Does he still love me or is something bothering him?” Liz thought to herself.

She forcefully went to sleep, since she didn't get any message from Mara after waiting for a long time.

“He'd come around, I hope.” Then she rubbed her belly, “maybe when the baby comes”